mothers

That perfect Norman Rockwell tableau doesn’t always match real life around the Thanksgiving table. Throughout the holiday season, family feuds can simmer, prompting outright refusal by adult children to join the festivities. Estrangement between mothers and children is sometimes the reason for an empty seat at the table. Recent research has found that such schisms impact about 10 percent of parents and adult children. The most common cause is a clash in core values between the parent and child over …

Mother’s Day brings a spending spree as Americans dole out a record $21 billion this year for cards, flowers, jewelry, gift certificates, electronics and gardening tools, as well as creating a crush at restaurants for brunch and dinner on Sunday. While the typical expenditure is $175, our 25- to 34-year-old children will spend the most of any age group, averaging almost $250. Of course, that doesn’t mean they are splurging only on moms; many will buy gifts for their wives …

News, discoveries and … fun 1. Jackie Kennedy confided personal thoughts in a 14-year correspondence with an Irish priest. (Learn more at Irish Times) 2. A mother’s worth increased $3,123 last year. (Learn more at AARP) 3. There’s a square hole in the sun. (Learn more at Space.com) 4. Age discrimination can kill you. (Learn more at AARP) 5. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is collapsing, making a rise in global sea level inevitable. (Learn more at National Geographic) 6. Most Russians are …

As a “working mother” since the late 1980s, I’ve read – even written – countless stories over the years on challenges of trying to juggle kids and a career. Media attention to the topic always kicks up a conversation: From the mommy track and the mommy wars to opting out and leaning in, these articles have all wrestled with the same basic question: Is it really possible for women to “have it all” – or at least a manageable balance? The …

Dear Mom, By now, you’ve probably opened the package I sent for Mother’s Day. If not, SPOILER ALERT: I got you those leggings you wanted (like mine) and an oversized tunic to match. Cute? Yes. Thoughtful? Kinda. Special? Not really. Even the card I sent was ordinary. A few months ago, I picked out the perfect one, but then I forgot it at home on Tuesday, the day I had to USPS it all to arrive on time. #mothersdayfail Mom, …

As Mother’s Day approaches, I’ve been thinking about the most powerful gift my mother ever gave me: my love of reading. Not just any reading, mind you. When it became clear that 8-year-old finicky reader Bethanne Kelly was bored to death by age-appropriate bedtime tales, 35-year-old Julia Kelly quickly “thought outside the book”: She dug out her old college literature texts and started reading me the poetry, short stories and essays they contained. That sounds sweet, doesn’t it? Sure – until you hear some …